Phew. I finally have an opportunity to update.
So, yesterday I arrived at the Venician airport, shockingly with all my bags. I hopped on a bus to take me into the city, then jumped onto one of the boat's that make up Venice's public transportatoin system.
Once I neared my dorm on the island of Guidecca, I met up with a girl named Anna, and proceeded to check in. My room is awesome. The bathroom is beautiful, and it has a great view. The dorm I'm staying in is beautiful and spacious, it has a great social vibe to it.
I didn't sleep at all on the plane, so I was pretty beat by this point (12 hour trip + six hour time difference = my internal clock being fucked up). So, I slept for a good four or five hours and woke up around eight. I went for a walk along Guidecca's main canal. Then I went and got a sandwhich from one of the bar's that line the waterfront and headed back to the dorm. Then I met up with Anna and Jason and few other people and we went out to a bar for a few hours. This city is an oenophile's dream. You can buy a decent bottle of wine for .70 euros. Alternately, you can fill up a liter jug for 1 euro. Of course, there are more expensive, better options available.
After that we headed back and I tucked in for the night. This morning we woke up at a reasonable hour to go to a reception at Ca' Foscari. The reception was very nice, we heard an excellent lecture on byzantine history and were treated to three pieces from two of Venice's premier musicians. Additionally, it was Dean Kirby's last official appearance as a Harvard representative. The school buildings are increadible. The offices are housed in a 15th century palace. Unfortunately, the heat was really getting to me in the lecture. The day was hot, but inside it was considerably hotter. I drank a few bottles of water, but after we left to head out to a lunch reception, I ended up throwing up quite a few times outside of the building. I was feeling a little better, and headed off to the reception. The food was fantasic. The best fruit that I have ever eaten. Wine, fresh juice. Great Italian meals that I am incapable of naming. I was pretty blown away. We mingled for a while and met several of the Italian students we'll be studying alongside this summer. I made several trips to the bathroom as I was starting to feel very sick again.
After a while we left to visit the summer school buildings. There I threw up until I dry-heaved, which wasn't that pleasant. As I wasn't feeling that well, I decided that going on the walking tour of the city that we were about to embark on wouldn't be the best idea, so I elected to stay in the air-conditioned office until I felt better and then head back to the dorm. After a while I was feeling pretty good, so I decided to walk up to the piazzalle Roma and get my student card, which would give me free transport (we need to take a boat between Guidecca and our classes, so without this travel would get very expensive). However, I was feeling even worse than before and decided to lay down on a bench for a while. After a bit, I threw up once again, although all that was in my stomach was water. It took me a few hours to collect everything I needed from various offices, but finally I had my card. I bought a gatorade in a grocery store in the hopes that that would stay down, and then boarded the boat back to Guidecca. When I finally got back, I ended up laying down in the bathroom to escape the heat. I just ate a candy bar and managed to keep that down, so hopefully I'm over whatever was bothering me, whether it was heat-stroke or food not soaked in preservatives. I still feel sick though, so I think I'm going to stay in tonight.
That's pretty much it at this point. The city is fantastic. I am extremely happy that I did this. I've been here for a few days and already I don't want to leave. Although let me say that it is hot here in a way that I have never experienced. It isn't just hot, it's smothering. It's nighttime right now, and it is barely cooler than the day. Hopefully I'll have some pictures up later tonight (afternoon for you, we're 6 hours ahead of Atlantic time). I'll update with those later tonight.
Gratzi, Ciao
